Import/export HS code 81129240: Niobium (columbium)
A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 4,909,704 |
| Thailand | 2,839,450 |
| Netherlands | 639,006 |
| United States | 461,235 |
| Germany | 403,858 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,376,180 | 3,533,524 | +2,157,344 |
| Thailand | 507,200 | 2,332,250 | +1,825,050 |
| Netherlands | 518,394 | 120,612 | -397,782 |
| United States | 150,821 | 310,414 | +159,593 |
| Germany | 403,858 | 0 | -403,858 |
| Japan | 198,356 | 0 | -198,356 |
| France | 47,238 | 23,302 | -23,936 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| Spain | 0 | 20,077 | +20,077 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 5,771,293 |
| Thailand | 2,531,896 |
| Germany | 451,096 |
| United States | 310,017 |
| Brazil | 222,163 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,100,163 | 3,671,130 | +1,570,967 |
| Thailand | 199,646 | 2,332,250 | +2,132,604 |
| Germany | 451,096 | 0 | -451,096 |
| United States | 6,346 | 303,671 | +297,325 |
| Brazil | 213,752 | 8,411 | -205,341 |
| Japan | 198,356 | 0 | -198,356 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| Netherlands | 32,688 | 0 | -32,688 |
| France | 0 | 23,302 | +23,302 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 1,415 | +1,415 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 1 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Kent | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| South East Wales | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,557,799 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,008,596 |
| Air transport | 992,419 |
| Other | 31,324 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,671,948 | 5,885,851 | +4,213,903 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 816,770 | 191,826 | -624,944 |
| Air transport | 682,005 | 310,414 | -371,591 |
| Other | 31,324 | 0 | -31,324 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 6,780,763 |
| Immingham Docks | 556,528 |
| Southampton | 447,385 |
| Manchester Airport | 297,869 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 287,627 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 1,301,620 | 5,479,143 | +4,177,523 |
| Immingham Docks | 488,419 | 68,109 | -420,310 |
| Southampton | 200,657 | 246,728 | +46,071 |
| Manchester Airport | 259,617 | 38,252 | -221,365 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 224,032 | 63,595 | -160,437 |
| Thamesport | 0 | 260,395 | +260,395 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 207,152 | +207,152 |
| East Midlands Airport | 198,356 | 1,415 | -196,941 |
| Fishguard | 199,646 | 0 | -199,646 |
| Dover | 167,845 | 23,302 | -144,543 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 7 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 2 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 1 |
| Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 1 |
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
| 2025-07 | 4 |
| 2025-06 | 3 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 4 |
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| 1m-15m | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,296,618 |
| Italy | 983,625 |
| India | 286,209 |
| France | 263,080 |
| Germany | 135,427 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 897,340 | 399,278 | -498,062 |
| Italy | 420,567 | 563,058 | +142,491 |
| India | 234,168 | 52,041 | -182,127 |
| France | 44,333 | 218,747 | +174,414 |
| Germany | 26,382 | 109,045 | +82,663 |
| Spain | 40,017 | 54,459 | +14,442 |
| Japan | 0 | 64,521 | +64,521 |
| Malaysia | 52,206 | 0 | -52,206 |
| Sweden | 0 | 3,418 | +3,418 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,466,522 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,226,021 |
| Air transport | 487,037 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,072,499 | 394,023 | -678,476 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 499,459 | 726,562 | +227,103 |
| Air transport | 143,055 | 343,982 | +200,927 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,164,448 |
| Southampton | 1,133,907 |
| East Midlands Airport | 320,434 |
| London Gateway Port | 234,168 |
| Felixstowe | 98,447 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 473,685 | 690,763 | +217,078 |
| Southampton | 791,925 | 341,982 | -449,943 |
| East Midlands Airport | 52,986 | 267,448 | +214,462 |
| London Gateway Port | 234,168 | 0 | -234,168 |
| Felixstowe | 46,406 | 52,041 | +5,635 |
| London Stansted Airport | 64,912 | 4,519 | -60,393 |
| Manchester Airport | 0 | 64,521 | +64,521 |
| Dover | 25,774 | 35,799 | +10,025 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 22,080 | 7,494 | -14,586 |
| ZLC | 3,077 | 0 | -3,077 |
Quick facts
HS code: 81129240
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications